Game of Thrones Season 4 Spoilers: What Happens to Rickon?

With Game of Thrones Season 3 a distant memory, it’s now time to turn our attention to what may lie ahead in Season 4. Since GoT is based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF), we can make some good guesses about how the story will play out next season, at least in broad strokes. Here are our predictions about what's coming up for the forgotten Stark, Rickon, based on the latter half of A Storm of Swords.

Warning: This article contains MAJOR spoilers from the A Song of Ice and Fire book series. Click away now if you don't want to know!

Disclaimer: Of course, the show may cut plot elements or even completely alter Rickon's story. These are spoilers based on the books only.

Wait, where’d he go? Here’s the biggest spoiler about Rickon going forward: We’re probably not going to see him. Remember the scene last season when Rickon and Osha go their separate ways at the Night Fort, with the two of them heading for Castle Black? Well, that happens in the books, too (though a little earlier in the story) and after that, Rickon is never seen again. He and Osha take off midway through book three, and as of book five they still have not appeared on-page. We know they never make it to Castle Black, but the show could fit in a nice cameo for them next season that wouldn’t go against the books and would show the fans that Rickon and Osha are still alive. The two could get to where they have a view of Castle Black, and they could see the battle with the wildlings raging there and then decide that maybe they’d be better off elsewhere. It’s a plausible scene, but one we’re totally pulling out of thin air, so if you don’t see Rickon next season, don’t be shocked.

So... Where is he? Rickon does get mentioned in the books again as being alive, so we know he doesn’t die (at least we suspect he doesn’t). Once at the Wall, Stannis sends Ser Davos to meet with one of the North’s more important lords to try and shore up support for his claim to the throne. The lord with whom Davos meets? Wyman Manderly. If you don’t recognize that name, it’s because we haven’t met him yet, and probably won’t until Season 5, but he’s an awesome character and a Stark loyalist, so we’re looking forward to his eventual debut. Anyway, Lord Manderly tells Davos that Rickon and Osha have been spotted on the unruly island of Skagos, and that in order for Manderly to swear fealty to Stannis, Davos will have to bring Rickon back to him so he can take his rightful spot as Lord of Winterfell.

Are you sad you probably won’t be seeing Rickon? Sound off in the comments below.